12 December 2023
Telekom Malaysia has swapped out 90% of its copper cables in Sabah with fibre and will ditch the remaining copper lines by 2025 as it copes with rising incidents of cable theft..png?lu=115)
Mohd Sainal Bin Mohd Amin, GM and head of regulatory and engagement at TM Technology Services Sabah, said that the move will not only provide better broadband services to Sabah, but also help it fight cable theft. Local police arrested 16 people in Sabah between January and October 2023 for cable theft.
“We have also identified hotpot areas for cable theft activities, so we have given focus to those areas,” said Mohd Sainal Bin Mohd Amin. “Among the identified hotspot areas are Likas and Inanam in Kota Kinabalu, Tanjung Batu and Batu 4 in Tawau and also Jalan Sim-Sim in Sandakan.”
In Malaysia, copper can be sold to scrap yards for about RM25 (US$5.35) per kg, while optical fibre has no resale value.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has instructed Telekom Malaysia to replace all copper cables by 2025.
